we can see that revenue is starting to take a hit over the last four years at McD. Competition with fast-casual restaurants such as Chipotle and Panera Bread as well as traditional QSRs like Wendys and BK is heating up and this trend will continue in the foreseeable future. This has led McD operating income to fall by almost 7% from 2011 to 2014. If this trend continues, it may not be profitable for shareholders to continue to have a stake in McDonald's.

From here, we can see that Return on Equity fell by 13% over the four-year period as long-term debts are starting to pile up. Debt to equity has increased by a whopping 34% and management needs to start thinking if piling up debt to pay dividends is really a sustainable concept. If a company is unable to increase its revenue, it does not make financial sense to increase its dividend as well.